Cuigiya Lianyuan

Career

Lianyuan obtained his Jinshi title by passing the imperial exams in the year of 1868. Then he was elected a Shujishi, a temporary position held by the elites among the Jinshi rank. His first official appointment as an officer was in the Anqing Fu. He mainly administered the internal affairs of Anhui Province before being summoned to the capital in the year of 1899. Lianyuan was appointed an official of Zongli Yamen, the foreign ministry of China de facto of late Qing dynasty as a supernumerary. Soon he was promoted to the institution of Grand Secretariat where he acted as one of the grand secretary, a position that parallels the Ottoman grand vizier.

After the outbreak of the Boxer rebellion, the xenophobic rebels attacked the embassies of many European countries. At this point of time, some officials in the Chinese government could not resist the temptation of expelling the westerners by the means of this very rebellion. The rebellion was largely against the European powers and consequently drew the sympathy of numerous government officials. Xu Tong and Chongyi, both being sympathizers of the Boxer rebels, claim that "The sentiment of people can be used." on an imperial conference.Such claim met the opposition from Lianyuan. He insists that "People's sentiment can be used but the sentiment of criminals can not be used."

In the yeae of 1900, the Eight-Nation Alliance occupied by force the port of Dagu. The siege of Beijing and the fall of it marked the failure of the sympathizing policy on the matter of Boxer rebellion. However, the ultraconservatives among the Chinese officials tried to start a total resistance by moving the capital to the western city of Xi'an. Prince Zaiyi of the royal house of Aisin-gioro held firmly his aggression against the invading European alliance. Lianyuan found the idea of the prince to be ridiculously dangerous and retorted him by arguing that during the First Sino-Japanese War, China lost the war to Japan, one single modernized power among many, and it could not possibly win the war against the eight country alliance. The prince was angered furiously and executed Lianyuan with other officials who shared similar opinions with him. His execution took place in August 11 in the year of 1900.

In September 7, 1901. The Boxer Protocol was signed between China and the Eight countries alliance. China agreed to put the rebellion to rest and make compensation to the loses of the invading forces. Among the protocols, five Chinese officials were mentioned for their consistent opposition to the violent solution. The protocol demands that they are to be rewarded. Lianyuan was then posthumously exonerated accordingly.